Bottle



Dec. 23, 1958 l. G. NOON 2,865,384

BOTTLE Filed Oct. 28. 1954 FIGI.

BOTTLE v Ivor G. Noon, Clayton, Mo. Application October 28, 1954, Serial No. 465,368

3 Claims. (Cl. 132-73) This invention relates to a container of the slender variety exemplified by the customary fingernail polish bottle, and particularly to preventing the accidental upsetting of such container during use.

The ornamental bottle commonly employed for fingernail lacquer has given rise to a ditficulty in the art of applying lacquer to fingernails. The female who is polishing her nails usually places the bottle on a dresser, table, or other fiat supporting surface, placing the hand being operated upon, palm down on the supporting surface close to the bottle, while the brush is manipulated with the other hand. Frequently, in removing the brush from, or reinserting the same into, the bottle, or in swishing the excess polish from the brush, she upsets the bottle, thus spilling the contents. This results in either partial or total loss of the lacquer, and frequently causes damage to the surface upon which the bottle rests, and other neighboring articles.

It has heretofore been proposed, as in United States Patent No. 2,140,231, to provide a carrier for a nail polish bottle which may be held between the fingers being operated upon so that the neck of the bottle is substantially at the level of the fingernails, and the body of the bottle depends below the fingers. While the arrangement just described quite adequately minimizes the likelihood of tipping of the bottle during use, the arrangement is such that the hand being operated upon must be suspended in the air as distinguished from being permitted to rest upon a supporting surface. Moreover, the arrangement just described introduces a capsizing hazard at the time the bottle and its container are removed from the hand and placed upon a supporting surface. Another approach to the problem is represented by United States Patent No. 2,656,842, according to which the nail polish bottle itself rests upon a supporting surface, and the fingers being operated upon rest upon the bottle itself. In this case, as in the previous instance, the hand being operated upon cannot be permitted to rest upon a supporting surface, and consequently, the operation is tiresome. Moreover, the last-mentioned arrangement introduces a tipping hazard at the time the fingers are applied to and removed from the bottle.

it is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a container of the kind referred to which can be easily and positively maintained in an upright position by the hand being operated upon while that hand is at rest upon a supp srting surface.

The invention contemplates the provision of a base which is configurated for ready reception between the fingers of a hand resting palm-down on a supporting surface. The base is configurated to both overhang and underlie the fingers remote from the tips thereof. Such a base may be either integral with, or removably connected to, a tall slender container such as a fingernail polish bottle. When thus held between the fingers, such a bottle is restrained from capsizing as a result of accidental forces applied by either the free hand, or the nited States Patent 'ice hand being operated upon, or other agency, regardless of whether the base itself is resting directly upon the supporting surface. The configuration of the base prefer ably includes a hole for the reception of one finger.

The base may be made of plastic or glass, or any other suitable material.

Other features of the invention will be in part apparent from and in part pointed out in the following detail description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of a nail polish bottle with integral base configurated in accordance with the invention; and

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the bottle and base showing the manner in which it is held between the fingers of the hand to which nail polish is being applied.

In the embodiment shown in the drawings, container 1 is a relatively slender bottle provided with a removable brush 2, having a base 3 integral therewith. The base 3 is provided with a transverse opening 4 extending entirely through the base and of a size such as to accommodate one finger. On the sides of the base, parallel with the axis of the finger hole 4, the base is provided with external concavities 5, each shaped to accommodate about half the periphery of a finger. The distance between the valleys of the opposite concavities 5 is so proportioned as to be comfortably received between, say, the first and third fingers of a normal hand while the second finger reposes in opening 4, as shown in Figure 2.

When thus held between the fingers, the upper per-- tions of the concavities 5 overlie the surfaces of the first and third fingers; and the lower portions of'the concavities underlie the same fingers. Thus the container is restrained from movement relative to those fingers by simply being wedged between them and held by the intermediate finger "which occupies hole 4. Accidental tip-- setting of the container is thus prevented Without requir ing the user to elevatethe hand out of steadying relation-- ship with the supporting table, or the like. The concavities 5 are located close to the bottom 6 so that the adjacent portions of the hand may rest upon the same surface as the bottle. When it is desired to lift or otherwise move the hand being operated upon, the bottle moves with it.

The bottom 6 is flat and extends sidewise for a distance sufficient to provide adequate support for the container when not in use.

While in the preferred embodiment of this invention, the base is made integral with the nail polish bottle, it is to be understood that the base may be made separate from the bottle and suitable arrangement made for either temporary or permanent attachment.

From the foregoing description, it is apparent that those skilled in the art will understand the structure, function, and utility of the invention herein disclosed and appreciate the advantages thereof. Although one embodiment has been disclosed in detail, it should be understood that the invention is not limited thereto, but the drawings thereof are to be understood as being merely illustrative.

It is realized that many modifications and variations will present themselves to those skilled in the art Without departing from the spirit of this invention or the scope thereof as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with a container, having a substantially greater dimension in the dimension of its height than in one direction transverse to its height, of a base therefor having an opening extending; therethrough in a direction transverse to the height of said container,

u? said opening being disposed adjacent the bottom of said base and proportioned to accommodate a finger, walls between said opening and the exterior surfaces of said base adjacent the bottom thereof, parts of said walls intermediate the height-wise extremities of said opening being substantially parallel with the axis of said opening, and said parts being proportioned to be comfortably re ceived between said finger and the adjacent fingers of a hand.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the bottom of said base is hat and extends sidewise for a distance substantially greater than the diameter of said opening.

3. The combination with a nail polish bottle having substantially greater height than transverse dimensions and an opening in its top, of a base having a flat bottom and a finger hole whose axis is substantially perpendicular to the axis of the opening in the top of the bottle, said finger hole being located adjacent said flat bottom,

i said base having adjacent said flat bottom external concavities whose axes are substantially parallel with the axis of said finger hole, the walls between said finger hole and said concavities being proportioned to be comfortably receivable between adjacent fingers of a hand.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATESPATENTS 

